Withdrawing special category status will cost BJP in 2019: Mukul

Staff ReporterSHILLONG, Oct 02: The former Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for withdrawing the special category status from Meghalaya.“Are they experts to know the problems of the northeast overnight that they had to withdraw the special category status of the region,” Dr. Sangma had said here on Tuesday.Accusing the NDA of being insensitive to the needs of the people of the region, Dr. Sangma said, “Every state will be affected by anti-people agenda of the BJP government.”

Dr. Sangma also alleged that the Central government has even deprived the states of the region of their entitlements.He said that North Eastern Council (NEC) has instructed all the northeastern states to put on hold different projects.“This proves beyond doubt the insensitivity of the centre towards the people of the region,” Dr. Sangma who is now the Leader of Opposition added.Also accusing Central ministers of indulging in rhetoric based on lies, Dr. Sangma said that their visits to Meghalaya are only for giving out budgetary allocations even though the funds are never released.Dr. Sangma also rejected claims by Union Road and Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari that Rs 190,000 crore has been sanctioned to develop 12,000 km road projects in the region.Dr Sangma said that the road project were not new schemes but had been initiated during the previous Congress-led UPA government.“There is no new project. Nothing is new. If there is new then we will be happy,” he said.Stating that all this will have an effect, Dr. Sangma predicted that the BJP will be voted out of power at the Centre in 2019.He also claimed that if the Congress is voted back to power, it will restore the special category status to the states of the North East region.